Local officers save girl using new kit

ALBANY, N.Y. – Albany Police officers saved a young girl's life over the weekend using a new kit developed by state officials.

Police responded to a call at Lexington Avenue and Elk Street early Sunday where a 17-year-old girl from Scotia and a 20-year-old Albany man were wounded.

The girl was already losing consciousness when officers responded, and Albany Police Chief Steven Krokoff said his officers realized she probably had a serious leg injury. Officers used a specialized kit developed by New York Homeland Security that uses knowledge and battlefield medicine to get a tourniquet on her leg.

“It's important to recognize these officers took that training they were given to save themselves took a step beyond realizing that we have an opportunity to save a life here and this was within seconds of bullets flying,” he said.

“The unfortunate thing we see too often is nobody doing anything when someone has a significant injury,” Dr. Daley from Albany Medical Center said. “What we saw from these officers was a really impressive situational awareness using training and the equipment at their disposal in order to effect a life-changing event for this patient.”

The Albany Police Department is the first in the state to receive and use the kits. They train with members of the Albany Fire Department and Albany Med to use them in life-threatening situations.